Ingrown toenails commonly affect people that are physically active and people who wear shoes that are too tight for them. While ingrown toenails commonly affect adults, they definitely can happen to children as well. Pediatric ingrown toenails are often a big cause for concern for parents because they put their children in a lot of pain. While these ingrowns are unfortunate and sometimes scary, knowing what causes them for children can help you to avoid needing to deal with them.
Because children are usually more active than adults, this puts them at an increased risk of an ingrown toenail. Ingrown toenails are caused by consistent pressure on the corner of the nail. In a way, you can think of this as the pressure almost “pushing” the skin of the toe onto the nail as it grows. Pediatric ingrown toenails can happen when children are involved in sports or other physical activities that involve running, jumping, or similar movements with the feet.
Pediatric ingrown toenails are also common because as children grow, they often quickly outgrow their shoes. Shoes that are too tight also put extra pressure on the toes, which can again cause the nail to grow into the skin. Because of this, try and make sure that your child always has shoes that are well-fitting, or if anything a bit loose. Shoes with wide toes are also less likely to cause a pediatric ingrown toenail.
If your child develops a pediatric ingrown toenail, you may be concerned about the pain that it is causing them. To deal with this, and the condition itself, you should seek treatment from a licensed podiatrist. They will be able to diagnose the ingrown toenail and provide the safest, most effective treatment for your child. To schedule your consultation with a podiatrist, give us a call at (424)-299-4627 or visit our website for more information.